


Ninken Shorts

by syusuke



Series: Behind the Mask [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Ninken run the show, Ninken | Ninja Dogs, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21771349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syusuke/pseuds/syusuke
Summary: This is a series of ninken shorts of varying lengths. Unless explicitly stated, they all fit into the same universe as my fic Behind the Mask.Relevant warning will be added to each specific short. One short = one chapter.
Series: Behind the Mask [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569016
Comments: 18
Kudos: 54





	1. Undercover Pug (Pakkun, Ino)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pom_Rania](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pom_Rania/gifts).



> I just wanted to write some ninken shorts. So this is how it will work: I'll put the main characters of each short in brackets after the title.
> 
> The prompt was: UNDERCOVER DOGGO

This was the last time he did this. He was getting too old. And frankly, it was humiliating. Yes, this Ino girl was nice and she tried to make it better – but she only made it worse. Unfortunately, these were the only kind of undercover missions Kakashi let him do. Something about him being the perfect breed for it.

There were.. upsides. Ino was a very attentive mission partner who played her part well. She looked like the perfect image of innocence. Dressed in a flowy summer dress, with a beautiful pink flower in her hair she turned quite a few heads. One of the heads belonged to their mark who graciously offered to help her look for her ‘lost puppy’.

_Puppy, my ass._ He was the oldest of the pack, older than Ino by almost a decade. He had to admit, the plan worked out smoothly though. They successfully lured their mark out of the busy market place and to a somewhat secluded tea house where Pakkun allowed himself to be caught. Which prompted Ino to invite their mark to a cup of tea for his help. The young man looked rather ordinary, but they didn’t target him for his looks. He was a noble man and had useful intel. Now, as for getting that intel... The man was not very talkative here, in an unguarded place.

Pakkun reacted quickly when he saw the man getting too handsy. He planted himself firmly in Ino’s lap and growled at the man who immediately drew back his hands, probably afraid of being bitten. Rightfully so. As much as Pakkun loathed these missions, he knew his role. He had the perfect cover to protect the young kunoichis from unwanted advances, which allowed them the confidence to take the missions in the first place. In fact, it was not his first mission with Ino. She was good, he’d admit that. She could sweet talk almost any man and had mastered the art of acting just shy enough that they tried even harder.

And when the mark eventually invited her into his home, surely he could not ask her to leave her dog behind. Not after searching for him for hours. If every so often her dog misbehaved and wandered off to explore the mark's home, the man himself was too distracted to care. So Ino would gather intel from the man's loosened tongue and Pakkun could gather the information scattered around in plain sight. Rich people never seemed to suspect young girls, pets even less. Served them right. Sometimes he suspected they never even heard of the concept of ninken. Honestly, it was pathetic.

 _But why?_ Why did he have to match Ino’s clothes every time? There was little to be gained by his ridiculous get up.

He secretly thought it was some kind of punishment from Kakashi. His dear Alpha was usually the one to pick the outfits and there was always a matching... bow. Carefully tied around his neck, it felt like a noose.

What bothered him even more than the bow itself were the reactions from the civilians. He was too old for women of all ages cooing at him and calling him a cute little puppy. It was not his fault that for some godforsaken reason pugs were fashionable as lap dogs now. He was not cute! He was deadly! _Deadly!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The image... of Pakkun all grumpy.. with a carefully tied pink bow. Maybe even directly on his head at times. I just ^^ - Pakkun hates me now.


	2. Therapy session (Kakashi, Pakkun)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW mentioned suicide  
> TW dissassociating
> 
> After Sakumo's death Minato ordered Kakashi to go to therapy.

“Yell, scream, cry, please, just say something, anything.”

Kakashi just looked at the medic. There was nothing to say. Nothing he could do, would make any difference now. He didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to be here. At least they had allowed him to bring Pakkun.

“You need to work with me, Kakashi.”

He shrugged. He was here, wasn’t he? The Hokage had ordered him to go to counseling and he did. He was supposed to be here for an hour, so he was. Pakkun’s weight on his lap was grounding and it reminded him that he was not allowed to leave yet.

“Your father was a strong man. He did his best to raise you. It’s okay to cry. Grieve, Kakashi.”

He refused to tell her anything. His father was dead and he was angry. He was angry at the village for driving his father so far by shunning him. He was angry at his clan for leaving them all alone. It had been two weeks and not a single clan member had tried to contact him. Not even one had offered any help. He was angry at his father for... It was easier to be angry. Anger made him strong. Anger drove him to train harder and push through the obstacles in front of him. Anger made him focused enough to deal with all the paperwork. He had organized a small funeral service and filled out all the forms for his inheritance. He was angry that they didn’t allow him to bury his father among his comrades. As a disgraced soldier, he had to bury his father far off from the memorial stone.

“Fine. You don’t have to like it, but as long as you keep silent, you’ll have to come back every day. Until you talk, until we make progress.”

Pakkun growled at the medic and Kakashi whole-heartedly agreed. He would come back then. Every day. Until the medic gave up. Or, more likely, until the war got bad enough that they needed him to fight. He would train, he would keep moving. There was nothing to be gained by sitting around. His father was gone and he was grieving, but not in the way the village expected. No matter his age, Kakashi was a shinobi, a chunin. He refused to bring even more shame to his family. He would follow the rules. He would be everything his father couldn’t. He would become the perfect soldier and he would train his pack to become perfect too. Surely, they’ll let him work on his own, if he could prove he didn’t need any other help than his summons.

He didn’t want to talk with a medic he barely knew. He didn’t want to get a lesson on responsibility and loyalty. Not from a human, not from a man he had heard bad mouthing his father before. Not from someone who helped push his father over the edge. He knew his duty and the only loyalty he needed was found in his pack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .. I never said they would all be soft and light-hearted. This was actually the first thing I wrote for the shorts.


End file.
